The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-21
RHYMES TOORDER.
A VISIT TO A PRACTICAL POET
IN NEW YORK.
Making a Living by Writing Poet
ical Acrostics on Young Ladies'
Christian Names-The Poets
Perils-Some Specimens.

mOSC SuDStanClal IN tne SeVenCn w aru.
1t originally sheltered a family of sedatc
Knickerbockcrs, whose names may be
seen on tablets in Trinity churchyard. 1t
is now given up to tenants of several
nationaIities, whose chief occupation is
cutting, stitching. and sewing. The re-
porter walked upa short flight OF wide
stone steps, much worn by the contact of
many feet, between two old fashioned
iron ratings, and stopped moment be-
fore the open door. He heard, like n
dim echo from roaring sea, the buzz
and whirr of many machines. A little
humpbacked mau emerged from door
on the right of the hall, letting out an
additional food of noise and disclosing a
bevy of bright eyed girls. The reporter
showed the little man this clipping from
newspaper:
DOZENS written on all subjects at reasona-
Il BILE rates. Rbymed acr1stics specially,
Address ---, No. -, - st., New
York.
The little man handed the clipping
back, pointed upward with long fore.
finger and said:
"You will find him on the top floor. !"
At the end of three flights of stairs,
pasted on the door of what was origi-
nally the hall bedroom, where a luxu-
rious Knickerbocker may have slept off
the diurnal fatigue of doing nothing,
was the card of the verse maker. The
reporter knocked, and brisk, CONNER
cial voice behind the door remarked !:
"Come in !"
The room was large and devoid of fur
niture, except a secondhand green
lounge two cane bottomed chairs, and a
desk Uttered with manuscript. The man
who sat before the desk was dressed in
well-titting suit of brown. He did not
look like poet He had neat air, his
hair was short, and he wore a collar.
He looked up and asked, in the tone of a
storekeeper:
"Well, sir, what an do for you2"
As the reporters object was to ascer-
tain the true inwardness of the poets
business he dissembled. 'I am some
thing of an acrostic maker" the reporter
said, land I came here in search of a
job. What can you do for me2 I
thought perhaps you might take in a
partner"
The poet smiled and said cheerfully:
81 am willing to take in almost anybody
except partner. 1t would not pay me.
! can get al the acrostics want at from
Is to 25 cents apiece. But if you would
like to write some for me at the highest
rate I pay, quarter, I'll give you
enough to do every week to pay your
lodging; that is, provided you can write
metrical and sensible verse;"
The reporter said he would submit
some of his jingles to the poet. Then
the poet took ponderous book, re-
sembling a ledger, from the middle
drawer of the desk, and told the reporter
to look over all the acrostics in it, and
be sure not to write any similar to them.
The reporter found verses nodded to
almost every Christian name. Some of
the acrostics were written by verse
writers more distinguished than the
poets twenty-five cent contributors. But
the poet probably did not know it.
When the reporter came to the letter J.,
the poet, who had been busy trying to
build verse to fit the name Lucy, looked
up and laughed. In answer to the re-
porter's interrogatory look the poet said:
"You have got as far as L. I will not
spring the minstrel chestnut on you
by saying you CAN now warm yourself.
I will merely ask you to read the
acrostics under Lizzie. They're the only
two I have for the name."
The reporter read thus:
Lady, half thy beauty lies
In thy dark, expressive eyes.
Zest for love and life they show,
Zeal for all things good below.
1see in short, within thy eyes,
Everything that's woman-wise.
Like the busy bee, be ever busy
In the pleasant paths Of labor, Lizzie
Zealously domestic themes pursue,
Zoned with Joy then home will be to you.
Innocent and cheerful industry
Fer the source of happiness will be.
There's o little story connected with
the first verse;" said the poet. 81 adver-
tise in all the country papers in the East,
West, North and South, as you may
have conjcctured, and I get requests
from all these sections for acrostics.
Nearly all the requests come from young
fellows dead gone on young women.
They want the acrostics for love letter
or al album, and they get them when
they sent me dollar or so. Lizzie, be-
ing u hard name to tit rhyme to, comes
high. Six young fellows all wanted
Lizzie last month. l had already sold
her to Il dozen persons in dltTcrc 1t parts of
the country. riskcd sending her off
again, and have been sorry for it ever
since. Lizzie, No. /, with the dark, cx-
pressivc eyes, went to srOonev young
man in Virginia, and he put her in his
swectheart's album. Unfortunately, one
of his swcctheart's feminine cousins, on
visit from Sandusky, Ohio, h d the same
Lizzie in her album. The two girls put
their heads together and concluded that
their bcaus had deceived them. / got a
letter from the young man saying that
he would expose me and have me prose-
cuted for carrying on swindling busi-
ness. He hasn't done either yet, but he
has caused me to be mighty careful how
1 send my two Lizzies around the coun-
try. If you can get up a companion for
them, young man, I'll give you dollar"
The young man seid he would try,
and asked the poet if he had ever had
any other trouble on account Of the
rhyme robbed young ladies in the big
book. The poet said that Lucy had also
caused il lovers quarrel and dcnuncia-
tion, per letter. of the poet. Lucys were
quoted at 81 each, one.half the price OF
Lizzies. Among the Lucys that the re-
porter lnadc mental note Of were these:
Like what are YOU, my darling, brisht-eyed
beauty!